


Static Love

by assryder (VisceralComa)



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Cutesy, F/M, Fluff, Lemon, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:07:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisceralComa/pseuds/assryder
Summary: Everyone on the crew knows when Sara and Jaal have been canoodling.  No not because of a hickey.





	

“Sara, your  _ hair. _ ” Jaal struggles with the word the first time he says it, trying to vocalize the short syllable so as not to get it wrong. He does it often, with care. His voice edging the word with poetry.  She could listen to him vocalize mundane words every day, if it meant spending time with him. 

“What about it?” 

His own fingers gestured to his neckflaps that were glossy from the application of hydrogenated ash salve.  She’d helped him with it this time, the both of them in the communal bathrooms of the Tempest, sneaking away to be alone - Sara’s insistence.  Jaal had no qualms about public displays of affection. She was the odd one to want to find privacy for it, but he was understanding - accommodating.  Even if he teased her about it, staring at her over the vidcons as they discussed their next movements against the Kett with the crew.  He already knew her buttons, and boy… did he push them. 

“Yeah?” 

“The color is fading.” He held up a lock, sadly trailing the ends of it across the warm skin of her cheek. The purple-pink she had dyed it - with contraband hair dyes ala Vetra - was fading. Everytime she washed it, it just got a little bit fainter. 

“Jaal, I told you, it would fade.” 

“Yes. but, it is a very beautiful color.” 

“You’re only saying that because its the color of your skin.” 

“No.” He tried before giving her a toothy grin. “Yes. We match. In many more ways than soul.” 

She tried to hide her pleased smile. She always thought it was the translators that rumbled his voice like that, but now she could feel it deep in his chest. With each word, it rumbled and when she ran her fingers between his neckflaps he rumbled and purred, thrilling her as he pressed against her hands further. 

For the longest time, he worried such a touch would harm her.  Especially as he learned more about human anatomy. While the books their medical divisions traded were informative, they lacked in all the nuances of how sensitive humans can be but also in how they differed socially. Jaal had not been aware of Ryder’s feelings for him until she told him, when in the past a simple touch would have been enough to alert him. But Sara was not Angara and did not have fine control of her electromagnetic field like his people. 

Though, it did certainly mean slight skin-to-skin touches to her person caused  _ interesting _ reactions. Most satisfying were those enacted with his lips and tongue. 

But while their cultures differed greatly, there were similarities. For instance there was a sub-human culture that held similar beliefs of reincarnation. Sara claimed her mother had been devout practitioner of this  _ Hinduism _ . Sahuna, his true mother, was most interested in this and peppered emails to Ryder about the facets and differences. 

“Jaal.” Sara’s wistful voice caught his attention, bringing him back from his musings. 

“Sara.” He pressed his brow against her. The tingling of the electrical current between them making her skin sensitive. He stared deep into her eyes - into her soul.  Soul gazing, as she’d call it.  She hadn’t even heard of this but it was something he found fascinating, as it was a similar practice among lovers in Angaran culture. But while in his culture there was an exchange of currents, cues and signals that were private and intimate between the lovers, with a human there was no exchange.   But it was no less intimate.  They relied entirely on their eyes.  Staring deep, for long stretches of time until they weren’t sure where one began and the other ended. 

Their breaths in time, heartrates matching. They were one, emotionally and mentally the longer they stared. Then they were one physically. 

* * *

 

They were fixing their clothes when a call came from Kallo that they had reached the Hepena system, followed by Suvi alerting her that there was an anomaly detected and whether they should send a probe. 

“Give me a sec, I’ll be up in a bit.” She responded, her voice hoarse. She cringed, knowing exactly how that sounded.  While her quarters were soundproof, the comms wouldn’t hide the graveled and overused grating they indicated.  Jaal had a way of making her very vocal. 

“Sara, are you losing your voice?” Dr. Lexi came through, concerned. “I can requisition a cough syrup to ease your vocal chords if it’s painful.” 

“We can’t have the Pathfinder getting sick.” Cora chirped from her post in the Bio-lab.  

“I’m fine guys.” She rolled her eyes, clearing her throat but that offered no improvement. Instead it made her raspiness sound worse.

“That doesn’t sound fine. Meet me in the med bay.” 

“Dr. T’Perro, I’m fine. Really just…”  She had to clear her throat up and get some water, or else she’ll never hear the end of this.  

Jaal leant against one of the ladders leading up to the bridge, all smug satisfaction. Sara gave Jaal a light punch. Her cheeks red, but he snatched her fist and pressed a kiss to the junction of her wrist and palm. Her heart fluttered every time he did that, the light tickling of his skin against hers. 

“If Ryder’s sick, perhaps we should head back to the Nexus?” Kallo’s voice came through. 

“No guys. Seriously. I just need some water.” She tried and then hacked as she stepped into the galley.

Liam had been tinkering with his omni tool, checking up with Augie on Podromos when he heard Ryder coughing.  He peeked from the crew quarters as he’d only just caught the tail end of the conversation with Lexi. 

“Ryder, you’re sick?”  His voice was laced with concern until he caught full sight of her. His eyes widened and he had to do a double take. “Oh. pfft…” He covered his mouth. 

“What?” Sara looked up indignantly as she set her cup down. 

“Did you look in a mirror?” 

“No... why?” Sara looked down at herself, trying to see if she’d missed a button or something. 

“Pretty sure the Pathfinder isn’t sick.” Liam spoke into the comms with a smirk. 

“And this is your expert opinion?” Lexi asked. He could just hear the eye roll, quickly followed by her footsteps echoing in the main walkway. “If you won’t come to me, I’ll find you.” 

“It’s fine, I just haven’t used my voice for a bit.” Sara tried to explain before Lexi could reach them. But the lie made her cringe.

“You sure it’s not overuse?” Liam smirked. Jaal gave a chuckle. The two of them sharing a look. 

“Sara, it’s important we take care of any symptoms before it becomes-oh. Oh!” Lexi stopped at the galley once she saw all three of them. “I see.” Lexi gave a sideways look to Sara and then to Jaal. “Well then.” 

“What? What is it?” 

“Lets just say everyone’s going to know when you and Jaal have been bus _ zay _ .” PB spoke from overhead as she headed back to her escape pod. 

Sara looked to him. “Is it a hickey?” 

“Oh no. It’s much better.”  Liam snickered. 

Sara growled, a sound that had Jaal stilling. This was just like the time Scott had pinned a note to her back. She pushed back into her quarters and pulled out her datapad, flipping on the small vid camera, only to be met with her normally short and curly hair frizzed puffed out.  

**Author's Note:**

> My Ryder's mother is Indian descent and is Hindu. I like the similarities of Ellen Ryder and Sahuna ama Darav having something in common, or well... at least ONE thing in small part of their respective belief system in common.
> 
> Personal Blog: [comavampure.tumblr.com](http://comavampure.tumblr.com/)  
> Mass Effect Blog: [assryder.tumblr.com](https://assryder.tumblr.com/)


End file.
